Gnostic Metaphysics, Epistemology, and Ethics - Assignment Example

Philosophy # 13th April, An Evaluation of Gnostic Metaphysics, Epistemology, and Ethics This paper evaluates the merits of Gnostic Metaphysics (Theory of the nature of things), Epistemology (Theory of how we know, faith and reason), and ethics (theory of the good, proper action), paying close attention to the question of human fulfilment. On Metaphysics, the Gnostics have a dualistic view of nature, i.e. the spiritual reality and the material reality. The Gnostics held that the source of everything that there was the undefined infinite, which was pure spirit. Different strands of Gnostic school referred to the undefined infinite using different terms: the First Father, the fullness of Being, the Monad, the First Source, the unknown, or the unknown God. For the Gnostics therefore the first cause of reality is a transcendental pure spirit that is nothing like what we know, it is a transcendental pure spirit that we can’t conceive with our senses. However, for the Gnostics, unlike many monotheistic religions like the Christianity, the first cause of reality, the unknown God, is not a personal being; the first cause is an impersonal pure spirit. To account for the multiplicity of reality, especially the material reality, the Gnostics held that God did not create or fashion reality, the way Christianity teaches, but that the cosmos as we know it emanated from the undefined infinite. The Gnostics therefore are in some sense pantheistic, for they hold that everything emanated from the unknown God, and therefore everything has a spark of the pure spirit, unknown God. The Gnostics hold that Aeons, which are deific beings who exist between the pure spirit and human beings, are spiritual realities, and not material. One of the Aeons is the Demiurge, and according to the Gnostics, the material reality was created by the Demiurge and not by the undefined pure spirit directly. To account for how the spiritual Demiurge created the material reality, the Gnostics claimed that, the creation of the material world resulted from a flaw or a sin on the Aeon Demiurge. For the Gnostics, therefore, the material reality is flawed because it resulted from the flaw or sin on the Demiurge (The Gnostic Worldview, web). For this reason, therefore, Gnostic held that nature is dualistic: the spiritual reality and the physical reality. A critical look at the Gnostic Metaphysics shows that the main merit in the Gnostic view of reality lies in the Gnostic scholars attempt to account for the material world. The Gnostics, however, did not give a convincing account of the origin of material reality. The Gnostic claim that material reality was the result of flaw on the Demiurge does not answer the question of how the material reality came into being from a spiritual reality. A critical look at this Gnostic metaphysical account of the origin of material reality shows that the Gnostics were wrong on this view. It is inconceivable how a flaw or a sin on the spiritual Demiurge can result in the creation of a material reality. Although the Gnostics, however, did not give a credible account of the material world, their explanation of the origin of material reality is significant contribution in the debate on the origin of matter. On Epistemology, the Gnostics taught that since the material world is flawed, the only way we can gain true knowledge of reality is through some form of illumination, whereby the unknown God reveals to human beings the true knowledge of reality to us, the gnosis. The Gnostics had a very low view of sensible knowledge, and they did not believe that sensual experience can lead us to the true knowledge of reality. For the Christian Gnostics, this kind of knowledge, the gnosis, is a prerequisite for salvation. The Christian believers held that this special knowledge, the Gnosis, is all the believers need for salvation. A critical look at the Gnostic epistemological view shows that, the Gnostics claim that divine illumination is essential for salvation makes a lot of sense. This view also was supported by St. Augustine, who claimed that Divine illumination is one of legitimate ways through which we gain knowledge of divine realities (St. Augustine Epistemology, web). This kind of knowledge enhances the Christians relationship with God. St. Augustine however differed with the Gnostics on the sensual knowledge. For St. Augustine, sensual experience can lead us to true knowledge of the physical reality. A critical look at the Gnostic claim that senses cannot lead us into the true knowledge of reality shows that Gnostics were wrong on this issue. This is because as human beings, it is only through the senses that we gain experience of the physical reality, the senses connect us, as it were, with the physical realities. Without the senses, therefore, we cannot gain knowledge of the physical realities. This fact shows that it is the sensual experience that leads us to true knowledge of physical reality. The sensual experience, however, cannot lead us to the knowledge of the spiritual reality. This therefore means that the sensual experience leads us to the knowledge of physical reality, whiles the, Gnosis, and leads us to the knowledge of spiritual realities. The view that sensual experience leads us to the knowledge of physical reality, while the Gnosis leads us to the knowledge of spiritual realities is perfectly in line with the Catholic Church teaching that faith and reason do not contradict, but they complement each other. What this catholic teaching means in essence is that, there are some truths that are known through sensual experience and reason alone, and there are other, divinely revealed truths that are only known through faith. This fact therefore shows that both faith and reason are valid means of acquiring knowledge of reality. On Ethics, the Gnostics held that normative ethics cannot lead to human fulfilment. This is because normative ethics has its origin in the flawed material world. For this reason, the Gnostics argued that the true theory of the good or proper action should originate from the unknown God. The Gnostics therefore contended that it is through the, Gnosis, divinely revealed knowledge, that we can know the proper actions for us. The Gnostics therefore held that human fulfilment is achieved when human beings live in accordance with the proper code of conduct known through the Gnosis, divinely revealed truth. A critical look at the Gnostic ethical view shows that the Gnostics are right in their view that the divinely revealed knowledge can help us in knowing the actions that are proper to us. However, the Gnostics are wrong in their claim that the normative ethics cannot lead to human fulfilment. This is because the main aim of normative ethics is to ensure that there is order in our society, and also to ensure that individual rights are respected and protected. Through the normative ethics, therefore, human beings are able to coexist peacefully in a orderly society. This fact shows that contrary to the Gnostic claim, normative ethics leads to human fulfilment. Works Cited St. Augustine Epistemology. Web. The Gnostic World View: A Brief Overview. Web. Read More